Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Factory Fuel Co.

Growing up in NJ, I have come to appreciate interstates and large highways. Sure some lack aesthetic beauty (especially in the northeast corner, near NYC), but with the amount of volume pumping through the veins and arteries of the state, I have become less concerned with the natural vistas when I am trying to get from Bordentown to Rahway in under an hour.
But if I wish to embark on a scenic drive, I head north and/or west of Flemington. The way the regional roads are situated, if one wishes to head north to points of northwest NJ, most routes will take you through Flemington on 31 (or back roads if you like extra scenery). Until recently, the drive through Flemington brought me no joy until last year when I discovered a coffeehouse called Factory Fuel Co. Located in a portion of the original Stangl Pottery Factory, Factory Fuel shares a large parking lot with the various other vendors that make up the huge space.

Within Factory Fuel's doors looms a very unique space, with everything surrounding a large brick kiln now converted to a spectacular, circular seating area (pictured above). Outside the kiln, the room is still spacious with plenty of tables and bar seating to satisfy their numerous patrons.

Regarding coffee, they serve up Counter Culture. On the date of my most recent visit, I ordered an espresso of Hologram and a pourover of a Papua New Guinea. The espresso, pulled short/medium with brown crema, smacked of chocolate, blood orange, wheat cracker, lime zest, lettuce and bran, proving to be a sweet, thick and lightly piquant infusion. The pourover also made for a flavorful brew, expressing syrupy notes of caramel, croissant, apricot, elderberry, sweet corn and dandelion greens in a medium body.

While I would have loved to see this old ceramic factory in action, I couldn't think of a better use for the old structure than a coffeehouse. When you pass through Flemington next, definitely take a small detour and hit Factory Fuel Co. in the old Stangl factory.